The Western Juniper Commercialization Project

The Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) Commercialization Project resulted from
discussions during a 1991 focus group of wood products manufacturers organized by the USDA Forest Service's
Winema National Forest in south-central Oregon (Click
here to see a summary report about the Western Juniper Commercialization project). The purpose of the
focus group was to identify critical issues from a manufacturer's perspective, potential
areas of cooperation, and who could consider working together with the Forest Service, and other government
and non-profit economic development organizations. Impetus to discussions was provided by the shutdown of
several local mills: Over the course of just 18 months, 1200 manufacturing jobs were lost out of a total
regional manufacturing employment base of less than 4000.

As might be suspected, raw material supply was identified as the major issue facing the industry.
One result of the focus group meetings was the realization of high interest in better utilization of and
markets for western juniper.

Members of the Western Juniper Commercialization Project include a diverse group of nearly 900 interested
parties. The group is comprised of an "even mix" of government researchers, non-profit organizations,
private landowners, and private industry.

The Western Juniper Home Page is intended to provide a "one stop shop" for information about western
juniper woodlands and wood products. The page is managed by, and housed at the
Oregon State University Extension Service.
For more information, see the Contacts section.